Egypt's most prominent contemporary poet Ahmed al-Shahawy said in a statement for al-Bawaba News Saturday some poets had betrayed their nation, slamming lack of cooperation between poetic generations. Shahawy added some Egyptian poets who have been granted scholarships overseas have abandoned their patriotic role towards their community. "Egypt has known great poets and novelists like Salah Abdel Sabour and Yussef al-Sebaei who gave non-limited support for young writers," al-Shahawy, who have participated in numerous poetry festivals, added. He also called on officials in commissions of poetry and publication to allow various viewpoints to express themselves. Shahawy, 55, won the UNESCO Poetry Prize in 1995 and the Kafafy Poetry Prize in 1998. He is due to participate Aug. 26 in a poetry reading in Algeria and in October in the ‘Americas Poetry Festival 2015' in New York.
